Pete Alonso

When factoring in his Arizona Fall League exploits, Alonso hit 42 home runs in 159 games last year, cementing himself as the top slugger in the minors. The 24-year-old first baseman has no problem squaring up elite velocity -- he took a 104-mph fastball out to center field in the Fall Stars game -- but can still be eaten up by good offspeed pitches. While the other top prospects expected to be called up in mid-to-late April, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Eloy Jimenez, project to be positive contributors in batting average and power right away, Alonso’s batting average will likely be closer to .230 than .270 in his first big-league season. That said, he has 80-grade power and should have no trouble posting big home run and RBI totals from day one. It is very rare that a R/R first base prospect emerges as a valuable dynasty-league asset, and the fact that Alonso has done so is a testament to his work ethic, which gets rave reviews.

A fairly easy player to evaluate, Alonso has a couple very clear strengths, and a couple very clear weaknesses. He has huge raw power -- his .231 ISO, which ranked second in the Florida State League, represented his career low in that metric. Alonso is also excellent at making contact, relative to most power hitters. His 18.5 percent strikeout rate at High-A was a career worst, and he struck out just 14.9 percent of the time in a brief 11-game run at Double-A to close the season. However, the right-handed slugger has dramatic splits. He absolutely obliterates left-handed pitching but is pretty mediocre against righties, especially for a first baseman. Additionally, he is a subpar defender, even at first base. The Mets have a better internal option in Dominic Smith, who is basically big-league ready, yet the organization is still entertaining ideas of getting a veteran placeholder there. If they follow through with that, Alonso would be a distant third on the organizational depth chart. He is probably best suited for the short side of a platoon in the American League.

As a right-handed first baseman who has yet to play in a full-season league, Alonso will not be showing up on real life prospect lists anytime soon. However, he should already be on the radar of dynasty league owners. Double-plus raw power is his calling card. That power was always on display at Florida, leading the Mets to select him with the 64th overall pick in 2016. His .266 ISO and 184 wRC+ illustrate how much damage he did in his brief 30-game run in the New York-Penn League, and his .969 OPS would have easily led the league if he had enough plate appearances to qualify. Alonso's hit tool, particularly his ability to hit right-handed pitching, will be what makes or breaks his ability to profile as a cleanup-hitting everyday player. Despite his gaudy overall numbers, he hit just .262/.306/.415 with a 4:15 BB:K in 65 at-bats against righties. Elite power makes him worth a flier in deeper formats, and it should become clear in a year if he is still worth a roster spot.